Review: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dangers Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys has been one of my favourite and most listened to albums since it was released. I was enthralled by the world that the band had created and the story that went along with it. I wanted to know more about it, I wanted to know why The Girl was so important and why they were willing to sacrifice everything to keep her safe. Then I found out that there was a comic planned, with Becky Cloonan as the artist and I went while.

So why did it take me so long to actually read it? I ... couldn't find it. Oh yeah, it's on Amazon but I wanted to find it in a store. I was willing to buy this at full retail price; that's how much I wanted to read it and support the world. ANYWAY, that's all by-the-by, what do I actually think of the story?

It made me want to cry. In the best way possible, if that makes any sort of sense. It's been ... well, years since the events of the original album, the Girl cannot even remember the faces of the original Killjoys anymore but she still misses them. There's new Killjoys in their place, people who aren't as reluctant to kill, and who think that Doctor Death-Defying and DJ Cherri Cola are just old men, lost in old thoughts and not aware of the real life going on around then. BLI is still in charge, still as cold and menacing as ever but the head SCARECROW, Korse, is not as unflappable as he once was. And the Girl is still important, but she's got to work out just why that is. Why did people protect her, and what can she do to honour them, their sacrifice, and how can she help the future of the world?

It's a sci-fi dystopia, with cold and clean sterility playing off of the bright colours of the wastes. Notably, Way makes sure that we see two sides to the story: not all who work for BLI are evil and not all Killjoys are heroes. This is something the Girl has to learn as well. To curb the instinct to just want to go on a roaring rampage of revenge and know that sometimes, it's better to forgive. It's not as black and white as BLI would like it to be, and Way does not shy from that.

It's a coming of age story. The Girl learns who she is and stops hiding, and moves forward towards her future. I know I'm being really vague but it's hard to explain until you read it and I will not spoil it at all if I can help it. It's just a really good read. The art work is fantastic and the story flows well.

If there was one down-note: it was that we never see the original killjoys. But they're done, dusted out in the wastes and ... yeah, of course we're not going to see them. It doesn't take at all from the story, which is one that I cannot recommend enough. Please, go and check out this comic.

It's so shiny.

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